One common self-battle that students face is how to stop procrastinating in college.
Procrastination can seem like an endless loop when you're trying to study.
You know you have a lot on your plate, but you just can't bring yourself to do these things. So, you put them off repeatedly, and now that test or important exam draws closer and closer.
As a student, it's easy to feel overwhelmed and think you can never break this cycle.
The good news is there are ways to stop procrastination and become a more focused, productive student.
These ways are what I intend to walk you through in the next five minutes of this blog post. When you're done reading this, you'll know how to stop procrastinating as a student.
What is Academic Procrastination
Before I dive more into the topic, you need to answer the question, "What is academic procrastination?"
Academic procrastination simply means being really lazy with schoolwork. This could be anything from not doing your assignment or not studying for an exam.
Sometimes, you have a hard time getting yourself to do stuff like research.
A lot of students procrastinate in college or high school to some degree. But what you really want to avoid is chronic procrastination. It can really affect your performance and grades.
Some common reasons for procrastination can be traced easily to poor time management and motivation.
10 Ways to Stop Procrastination as a Student
If you're serious about putting a stop to this habit, here are ten ways to beat procrastination and increase your productivity.
Identify the Root Cause of Your Procrastination
You need to know the reason why you always procrastinate. That's the very first step that'll help you. Are you intimidated by big projects and don't know where to start?
Do you get distracted by social media? Are you a perfectionist who agonizes over getting every detail right?
Knowing the root cause can help you target the habits fueling your procrastination. Other triggers could include fear of failure, poor time management skills, lack of accountability, forgetfulness, and more.
See if you notice any patterns about when and why you procrastinate, and use that self-awareness to inform your strategy.
Set Clear and Achievable Study Goals
It's hard to stay motivated if you don't have clear goals directing your efforts. Setting defined study objectives with targets like "Read two chapters and summarize key concepts" or "Spend 90 minutes reviewing flashcards” can give your sessions much-needed structure.
When goals feel overwhelming or vague, it's easier to mentally check out and procrastinate. Break bigger goals down into very specific, manageable pieces so you always know what to focus on next.
Setting timers can also help you stick to targets without getting off track. Tools like Spark. E AI allows you to create a structured study plan to keep you on pace.
Create a Study Schedule and Stick to It
Setting designated blocks of time for studying each day reinforces it as a consistent habit rather than a task you'll "eventually" get to when you find the motivation.
Outline set hours for schoolwork in your calendar and treat these windows just as seriously as you would a class or shift at work. Block out chunks of time for specific topics, assignments, or tests you need to prepare for.
Scheduling in regular 15-30 minute breaks helps split up long study sessions, so you recharge without getting burnt out. If your schedule gets disrupted, reschedule that block for another time that day rather than skipping it.
Remove Distractions and Create a Study-Friendly Environment
Innocent distractions, such as buzzing notifications on your cell phone or loud ambient noise, can ruin even well-intentioned study plans.
You can manage it by turning everything off, playing background music, and tidying up your surroundings.
Some apps, like Forest, even allow you to lock your phone for a set period of time. If you live with your family, roommates, or partner, tell them when you're studying so you're not disturbed.
Finally, stay away from places where you normally meet or relax, as your brain associates these places with relaxation.
Use Active Learning Techniques to Stay Engaged
Repeated reading of the same material sooner rather than later leads to boredom, switching off, and procrastination.
Active engagement means that once a concept has been covered. You engage with the content more actively, for example, by taking a quiz yourself, writing down the key points from memory, doodling pictures, or explaining out loud how the concepts relate to each other.
With Quizzes AI, you can create unlimited quizzes from your notes and textbook chapters. This will help you study in a more interactive way. The combination of reading and practical application stimulates your mind.
When sample questions for essays and past exams include practice exercises for you to complete, it provides built-in activities that go beyond passive review.
It also makes the learning process fun. You can compete against classmates to complete practice tests, and this can also increase engagement.
Avoid Perfectionism, Just Start Studying
For perfectionists, not knowing every last detail or unsure where to even begin can be paralyzing.
But perfect is the enemy of good, especially when getting started on complex projects. Silence that inner critic and focus on progress rather than flawless end results.
Simply start somewhere instead of overthinking all the steps first – you can refine them later. Set tight time frames for research and planning phases so you don't get endlessly mired in them when momentum matters most.
Perfectionism can also lead to beating yourself for not meeting unrealistic standards. Stick to defined action steps rather than measuring against subjective ideas of success or deadlines.
Study with a Group
Working alongside classmates who keep you accountable provides both camaraderie and motivation. Form an informal study group that meets weekly to review course material or tackle practice problems together.
Schedule sessions far enough in advance that members prioritize them over other social events. Split up topics so each person summarizes key concepts to teach the others. Discuss any confusing parts as a team.
Meet on campus right before or after classes so it integrates easily into everyone's schedule. You can also create digital groups through channels like WhatsApp or Slack to ask quick questions or keep each other on track with your study plan.
Reward Yourself for Completing Study Sessions
Positive reinforcement helps strengthen any habit you want to build, so find small ways to celebrate hitting your study targets for that day or week.
Plan little treats like getting your favorite coffee, streaming a new show, a nature walk, or a game night with friends.
But be careful not to undermine your progress by rewarding yourself with too much time scrolling social media or binge-watching at the expense of your schedule. Keep rewards motivating yet measured.
Prioritize Rest and Avoid Burnout
Lack of sleep, lack of free time, and imbalance are major factors contributing to procrastination. With fatigue comes the craving for quick dopamine rushes of distraction, not the sustained energy of concentration.
Create a regular sleep routine that ensures you get at least seven hours of sleep a night. That means you have enough time before bed to relax with a bath, a book, or light stretching exercises.
Include small breaks for snacks and talking to other people at home or with your pet during study sessions.
You can use the Pomodoro technique of 25 minutes of concentration followed by a 5-minute break. Build a restorative activity into your weekly schedule, such as yoga, journaling, or time outdoors, to protect yourself from burnout.
Track Your Progress and Adjust Your Strategies
Your new approach will continue evolving positively when you set intervals for assessing what works and what doesn't. What are the patterns around when you tend to get derailed, and why?
Identify where you got wrong and come up with potential alternatives. Tools like StudyFetch AI can help. Regular tuning avoids slipping back into old ways.
Reframing procrastination as a timely hiccup, not a complete failure. Even small progress tracking better study habits helps to build momentum, so be patient with yourself.
These are the exact steps to follow if you've been keen on knowing how to stop procrastination in college or high school.
Conclusion
As you've read, how to stop procrastination and start studying isn't so difficult. In fact, thinking about putting a stop to it shows you're really worried about the habit.
Yes, dealing with procrastination is a lot of work. But the truth is, it's a fight you can win very easily if you stick with the things I've shared here.
As I mentioned earlier, you need to know its root cause. What gets you distracted? Your friends, social media, or a job? You need to figure it out.
Once you've pinpointed that, you can then use the strategies I've laid out here to shake off the habit. It's a bad habit you don't want to keep around.
Lastly, if you're really serious about your academics and want to be at the top of your schoolwork, you need to take advantage of StudyFetch.
StudyFetch AI gives you a suite of AI study tools that make your study so much better and fun.
